Dawn of War II Features Co-op Multiplayer, Non-Linear Campaign

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II will more closely resemble a single-player roleplaying game than a traditional real-time strategy title, according to a recent article at IGN.

In a chat with Dawn of War II developer Relic, designer Jonny Ebbert revealed the game’s altered single-player mode, saying players would be free to take missions as they saw fit in a variety of locations all while maintaining the same squad of troops throughout the game.

Adding to similiarities with single-player role-playing titles, Ebbert also revealed that each member of your squad can be outfitted as players see fit from gear looted from dead enemies.

"We always felt it kind of broke the illusion that you’re training units on the ground," Ebbert said. "The thought of little factories cranking out Space Marines on the ground just didn’t jibe with how we interpreted the game."

Revealing changes to the game’s multiplayer component, Ebbert said "What we found just watching multiplayer statistics online is that a vast majority of players would rather co-operate with each other against an opponent."

"The co-operative campaign is based entirely around that concept.
Players want to co-operate in a story-based setting not just in comp-stomp."

Sadly, Ebbert was hesitant to reveal any information on Dawn of War II’s races, though he acknowledged many players’ desire to see classic Warhammer factions such as the Tyranids.

"Right now we’re only talking about the Space Marines and Orkz. There are a lot of things we’d love to talk about, but we’ve got a plan with what we want to release and when to build up anticipation," he said.